Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Chitradurga, Karnataka on October 12, 2022. The party is winning five of the six seats in the district. (PTI/FILE)
Karnataka Election Result 2023: Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had entered Karnataka on September 30, 2022. As of 23 October, it covered seven districts of the state – Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Mandya, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Bellary and Raichur.
A highly local campaign putting forward state leaders DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah has pushed the Congress to a clear majority in the Karnataka elections, but party leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has played a key role in at least 36 seats.
Led by Rahul Gandhi, the 145-day yatra, which covered nearly 4,000 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, had entered the poll-bound Karnataka on September 30, 2022. By 23 October, Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders who joined the yatra covered seven districts. Of the state – Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Mandya, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Bellary and Raichur.
These seven districts account for 51 of the 224 constituencies. Karnataka Legislative AssemblyOut of which Congress has won or is leading in 36 seats.
Here are the constituencies covered by Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Congress tally in these areas in the Karnataka election results:
- Chamarajanagar district has a total of four constituencies, of which the Congress has won or is leading in three seats.
- Mysore has 11 seats and Congress has won or is leading in eight of these.
- Congress leading or winning five out of seven seats in Mandya
- Tumkur has a total of 11 seats and the Congress has won or is leading in six.
- Chitradurga has a total of six seats, while the Congress is leading or has won five.
- In Bellary, Congress is set to win all five seats
- There are a total of seven seats in Raichur and Congress has won or is leading in four of these.
News18 had covered the Karnataka leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra last year six part special series,
In the run-up to the 2023 polls, the Congress had announced five key pre-poll guarantees and said it would give them its seal of approval in the first cabinet meeting if voted to power.
These include 200 units of free electricity to all households (Griha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the female head of every household (Griha Lakshmi), 10 kg rice free to each member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000. Rs 1,500 per month for unemployed graduate youth and unemployed diploma holders (both in the 18-25 age group) for two years (Yuva Nidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti).
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, termed it a “victory” for “Janata Janardhan” as people voted “fiercely” against the “poor administration” of the BJP in the state.
He said all newly elected Congress MLAs have been asked to reach Bengaluru by Saturday evening and due process of government formation will be followed.
Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda have made no impact on the voters of Karnataka. He said the victory is an important step towards the Lok Sabha elections next year, and urged the opposition to fight a united battle with Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate.
His colleague DK Shivakumar, who like Siddaramaiah is said to harbor chief ministerial ambitions, broke down while reacting to the assembly election results and credited the Gandhi family for reposing faith in his leadership in the state.
